Harsh Shringla said Quad members share a vision for Indo-Pacific region (File)
Ahead of the leaders of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) convening in Washington, India on Tuesday said the trilateral AUKUS security pact will have no effect on the functioning of Quad, and that both the groupings have no similarities.
The Quad is a quadrilateral cooperation between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States, while AUKUS is a newly formed alliance between Australia, the UK and the US.
"Let me make it clear Quad and AUKUS are not groupings of similar nature. Quad is a plurilateral grouping -- a group of countries with a shared vision of their attributes and values. We also have a shared vision of the Indo-Pacific region being an open, transparent, inclusive region," Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla told reporters.
"The Quad has adopted a positive proactive agenda which, as I said, has a wide array of initiatives at the global level to address some of the issues of the day. This includes dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, including the supply of vaccines to the Indo-Pacific region. It includes working on new and emerging technologies, it includes working on issues like climate change, infrastructure, maritime security, education, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief," he enumerated.
"There is a wide array of initiatives the Quad has undertaken which are designed to cater to the requirements of Indo-Pacific," he added.
He was asked if AUKUS will dilute Quad.
In response, Mr Shringla said, "AUKUS is a security alliance between three countries. We are not a party to this alliance. From our perspective it is neither relevant to the Quad nor would it have any impact on its functioning."
The first in-person meeting of Quad leaders will take place in Washington DC. It is a diplomatic alliance that has a shared interest in an open, free, inclusive Indo-Pacific region. Many see it as an alliance to counterbalance China's growing clout in the region.
However, Quad member nations also conduct annual Malabar maritime exercises.
Mr Shringla said Malabar exercises have no link to Quad.
"Malabar has no link to Quad and there is no link between AUKUS and Quad. AUKUS is a security alliance, Quad is a different group of countries working on different vision and in the same sentiment. Malabar exercises are those that are done between nations but has nothing to do with Quad," he said.
"Quad is an evolving process. It is something I would say in the initial stages of its functioning, and as we go along we have already found common ground. Someone asked is it a grouping which is only on issues that are dealing with non-defence, non-security issues, and I think essentially Quad will deal with all issues that would further its objective of seeing our common vision of an Indo-Pacific region," he added.
AUKUS was announced on September 15, 2021, and will allow Australia to have nuclear submarines. Australia has defended the move by saying it has done the pact for security in the Indo-Pacific region.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be attending the Quad meeting on September 24 at the White house. Other than issues related to Indo-Pacific, COVID-19, regional security, cross-border terrorism, the situation in Afghanistan will also be on the Quad table during the four-hour-long meeting between the leaders of US, India, Japan and Australia. This is the first in-person Quad meeting.